QLD · Mackay Council

Shoal Point, 4750

Est. population · Jun 2025

1,188

Growth (1 yr)

+1.4%

Growth (5 yr)

+7.6%

Median age

42

Median income

$2,434/wk

Employment rate

66.6%

Languages at home

4.1%non-English

Most common: German, French, Afrikaans

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

45.1/100
Average

Top 42% of Queensland's suburbs

Verified 58% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Green suburb
  • National parks
  • High desirability
What Shoal Point is known for: Green suburb, National parks, High desirability

Suburb profile

Shoal Point is a quieter smaller community in Mackay Council, where peace, space and a country-town pace still dominate. Long-term locals and family households define much of the community, with plenty of young families in the mix. Local shops, markets and community spots keep everyday life grounded in the town itself.

Local shops are sparse, so a fuller set of amenities usually means travelling to a neighbouring town or regional hub. Parks and open space are a real strength relative to many regional towns, easy for walks, sport and weekend downtime. A car helps for most daily errands, with fewer amenities clustered within an easy walk.

Buyers typically pay more than the metro middle for a home here. The suburb still has an emerging character, as newer residents settle in and local identity forms.

The overall desirability read is around average, pulled by softer housing affordability compared with similar regional towns, though community and employment, plus safety remain brighter spots. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

At a glance

Shoal Point snapshot

A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

No data available

Population (ERP)

1,188

+1.4% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

10.1%

Census unoccupied dwellings

Livability profile

Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)

How it compares

Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles

Desirability

#72

among Country & regional · Emerging

Safety

18th

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

59th

percentile in QLD

Advantage (IRSAD)

8/10

national SEIFA decile

Population growth

Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years

Housing mix

Dwelling types from the 2021 Census

Risks & flags

Quick scan — open a section below for full context

Living here

Desirability

Ranks & confidence
Desirability score
45.1/100 — Average
State standing
Top 42% of Queensland's suburbs
National rank
2912th in Australia
State rank
631st in QLD
Peer rank
#72 among Country & regional · Emerging suburbs
Cohort rank
#251 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
58%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability indexSuburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Population

Estimated resident population

1,188(June 2025)

+1.4% annual · +7.6% over 5 years · 59th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.4%
5-year growth
+7.6%
Change in 1 year
+16
Change in 5 years
+84
Growth rank in QLD
59th percentile

ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.

Methodology

Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.

The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~1,250), extrapolated at +1.3% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
1,104
Median age
42
Median household income / week
$2,434
Dwelling vacancy
10.1%
Unoccupied private dwellings
43 of 425
Median monthly mortgage
$2,050
Employment rate
66.6%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
342 / 27 / 24

Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)

Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community ProfileAustralian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

  • Estimated Resident PopulationAustralian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Community & culture

No 2021 Census cultural diversity data for this suburb yet.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community ProfileAustralian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2026 to Aug 2026)
31
Against the person
9
Against property
14
Rate per 1,000 residents
26.1
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 123 residents
State safety percentile
17.8th (lower crime is better)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-1.4%

Most common offence types

  • Assault26
  • Drug Offences24
  • Other Property Damage18
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)28
  • Good Order Offences18

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Crime rate and year-on-year trend

Data sources & freshness

  • QPS Online Crime MapQueensland Police Service · Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Aug 2026; Jan 2026 to Aug 2026 · Updated · Calendar-year aggregates

Family & Lifestyle

Amenities

16 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

1 playgrounds

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Great for outdoor family life12 parks mapped in suburb, 1 playgrounds nearby
Walkability proxy
0/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
10.87
Sport & outdoors(11)
  • Hodges Road ParkPark
  • Nautilus ParkPark
  • Park (7)
  • Shoal Point ParkPark
  • Playground
Other(4)
  • Bbq
  • Bench
  • Parking (2)
  • Public toilets

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insightsSuburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenitiesOpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Parks & reserves

5 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Hodges Road ParkPark
  • Nautilus ParkPark
  • Shoal Point ParkPark
  • Shoal Point ReservePark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
12
Parks (OSM)
12

OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)

Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Nearest hospital
GP Super Clinic (6.0 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
36
Participants per 1,000 residents
30.3

Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.

For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.

Data sources & freshness

Weather

Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.

Summer (Dec–Feb)

Usual max / min
30° / 23°
Rainfall
868 mm · ~90 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
27° / 20°
Rainfall
504 mm · ~63 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
23° / 13°
Rainfall
121 mm · ~15 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
28° / 18°
Rainfall
183 mm · ~23 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normalsWorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Queensland Bushfire Prone Area mapping.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Bushfire hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Hazard planning overlaysState government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Dawson
Member of Parliament
Andrew WILLCOX (Liberal National Party of Queensland)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
117,202
Turnout (2025)
88.2%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
-1.4 pp toward Coalition

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 61.8%Labor 38.2%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 11.4 km away).

Coalition 56.4%Labor 43.6%

5.4 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: -1.9 pp toward Coalition

Nearest polling places

  • BucasiaLabor 43.7% · Coalition 56.3% TPP (2025)2.6 km away
  • EimeoLabor 42.8% · Coalition 57.2% TPP (2025)6.5 km away
  • AndergroveLabor 47.6% · Coalition 52.4% TPP (2025)9.4 km away
  • BeaconsfieldLabor 44.9% · Coalition 55.1% TPP (2025)9.4 km away
  • Andergrove SouthLabor 48.9% · Coalition 51.1% TPP (2025)9.9 km away

Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic

IRSAD decile (2021)
8/10
IRSD decile (2021)
9/10

ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).

What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?

IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.

IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.

A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)

Data sources & freshness

More in Mackay Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.